Robustness (evolution)

In evolutionary biology, robustness of a biological system (also called biological or genetic robustness[1]) is the persistence of a certain characteristic or trait in a system under perturbations or conditions of uncertainty.[2][3] Robustness in development is known as canalization.[4][5] According to the kind of perturbation involved, robustness can be classified as mutational, environmental, recombinational, or behavioral robustness etc.[6][7][8] Robustness is achieved through the combination of many genetic and molecular mechanisms and can evolve by either direct or indirect selection. Several model systems have been developed to experimentally study robustness and its evolutionary consequences.

A network of genotypes linked by mutations. Each genotype is made up of 3 genes: a, b & c. Each gene can be one of two alleles. Lines link different phenotypes by mutation. The phenotype is indicated by colour. Genotypes abc, Abc, aBc and abC lie on a neutral network since all have the same, dark phenotype. Genotype abc is robust since any single mutation retains the same phenotype. Other genotypes are less robust as mutations change the phenotype (e.g. ABc).
  1. ^ Kitano, Hiroaki (2004). "Biological robustness". Nature Reviews Genetics. 5 (11): 826–37. doi:10.1038/nrg1471. PMID 15520792. S2CID 7644586.
  2. ^ Stelling, Jörg; Sauer, Uwe; Szallasi, Zoltan; Doyle, Francis J.; Doyle, John (2004). "Robustness of Cellular Functions". Cell. 118 (6): 675–85. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2004.09.008. PMID 15369668. S2CID 14214978.
  3. ^ Félix, M-A; Wagner, A (2006). "Robustness and evolution: Concepts, insights and challenges from a developmental model system" (PDF). Heredity. 100 (2): 132–40. doi:10.1038/sj.hdy.6800915. PMID 17167519.
  4. ^ Waddington, C. H. (1942). "Canalization of Development and the Inheritance of Acquired Characters". Nature. 150 (3811): 563–5. Bibcode:1942Natur.150..563W. doi:10.1038/150563a0. S2CID 4127926.
  5. ^ De Visser, JA; Hermisson, J; Wagner, GP; Ancel Meyers, L; Bagheri-Chaichian, H; Blanchard, JL; Chao, L; Cheverud, JM; et al. (2003). "Perspective: Evolution and detection of genetic robustness". Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution. 57 (9): 1959–72. doi:10.1111/j.0014-3820.2003.tb00377.x. JSTOR 3448871. PMID 14575319. S2CID 221736785.
  6. ^ Fernandez-Leon, Jose A. (2011). "Evolving cognitive-behavioural dependencies in situated agents for behavioural robustness". Biosystems. 106 (2–3): 94–110. doi:10.1016/j.biosystems.2011.07.003. PMID 21840371.
  7. ^ Fernandez-Leon, Jose A. (2011). "Behavioural robustness: A link between distributed mechanisms and coupled transient dynamics". Biosystems. 105 (1): 49–61. doi:10.1016/j.biosystems.2011.03.006. PMID 21466836.
  8. ^ Fernandez-Leon, Jose A. (2011). "Evolving experience-dependent robust behaviour in embodied agents". Biosystems. 103 (1): 45–56. doi:10.1016/j.biosystems.2010.09.010. PMID 20932875.